Menu files displayed to the remote terminal client / user are stored in the text/menu directory.
Menu files that have been translated to alternate languages (represented by ctrl/text.lang.ini files) are stored in their text/menu/lang directory.
Other display files (mainly used during the terminal server's new user registration process), are stored in the text directory.
Menu files may have one of the following file suffixes / extensions:
| Extension | Description of expected contents |
|---|---|
.asc | ASCII characters (CP437 characters, optionally) |
.msg | ASCII/CP437 characters 1) |
.seq | PETSCII characters and control-sequences |
.ans | ASCII/CP437 characters and ANSI X3.64 Terminal control-sequences |
.mon | ASCII/CP437 characters and ANSI X3.64 Terminal control-sequences suited for monochrome displays |
.rip | ASCII/CP437 characters and RIPscrip Terminal control-sequences |
All of these file types may contain Ctrl-A Codes color/attribute codes and/or @-Codes.
Although you may have multiple menu files with the same base filename and different suffixes/extensions, only one menu file will be selected and displayed to the terminal user based on their configured or auto-detected terminal type/capabilities. The menu/display file selection priority is as follows (the highest-priority file type that exists on disk will be displayed to the user):
| ANSI / CP4372) | ANSI / ASCII | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priority | RIP | Color | Mono | Color | Mono | PETSCII | TTY / CP437 | TTY / ASCII |
| 1 | .rip | .ans | .mon | .ans | .mon | .seq | .msg | .asc |
| 2 | .ans | .msg | .ans | .asc | .ans | .msg | .asc | .msg |
| 3 | .msg | .asc | .msg | .msg | .asc | .asc | ||
| 4 | .asc | .asc | .msg | |||||
Each of these file types may be preempted by a terminal-width specific file with a name ending in .Xcol.ext where X is the exact number of screen columns required to display the file correctly (e.g. 40, 80, 132) and .ext is one of the supported file extensions from the above list. To specify a minimum number of screen columns for a display file, use filenames ending in .cX.ext where X is the minimum number of screen columns to display the file correctly.
If you only have one display file for any particular base filename, it should have either a .msg or .asc extension and contain no terminal-control sequences (e.g. ANSI, PETSCII, or RIP).
See the Menu Directory in git for default menu files and their contents.
Most menu files are loaded/displayed by a command shell, so the name and location (e.g. sub-directory) of those files may depend on which command shell is in use by the users of your terminal server.
Default menu file names and descriptions:
| Base filename | Displayed By | Description |
|---|---|---|
| allmail | readmail.cpp | Sysop's reading all mail on system menu |
| attr | writemsg.cpp | Ctrl-A code help for use within the Synchronet internal message editor |
| batchxfr | bat_xfer.cpp | Batch transfer menu |
| batflag | listfile.cpp | Batch flag command key menu |
| chat | chat_sec.js | Chat section menu |
| default.src | E-mail section menu | |
| editor | writemsg.cpp | Synchronet internal editor commands and line editing keys |
| exempt | useredit.cpp | Exemption flag descriptions for use within User Edit |
| flagsx | useredit.cpp | Flag set (x is 1 through 4) descriptions for use within User Editor (sysop to modify) |
| logoff | execfunc.cpp | Logoff screen (not displayed on fast logoff) |
| logon | logon.js | Logon screen (logon1, logon2, logon3, etc. also supported) |
| mailread | readmail.cpp | Reading mail menu |
| main | default.src | Main section menu (the most commonly viewed menu) |
| maincfg | default.src | Main configuration menu |
| maininfo | default.src | Main information menu |
| msgscan | scansubs.cpp | Message reading/scanning menu |
| multchat | chat.cpp | Multinode chat menu |
| privchat | chat.cpp | Private node-to-node chat menu |
| qwk | qwk.cpp | QWK Packet configuration and transfer menu |
| restrict | useredit.cpp | Restriction flag descriptions for use within User Edit (sysop to modify) |
| sentmail | readmail.cpp | Reading sent mail menu |
| sysmailr | readmail.cpp | Sysop additional commands while reading mail |
| sysmain | default.src | Sysop additional commands for main section |
| sysmscan | readmsgs.cpp | Sysop additional commands while message reading/scanning |
| syssmail | readmail.cpp | Sysop additional commands while reading sent mail |
| sysxfer | default.src | Sysop additional commands for transfer section |
| tempxfer | tmp_xfer.cpp | Temporary directory commands menu |
| transfer | default.src | File Transfer section menu |
| uedit | useredit.cpp | User Edit menu |
| xfercfg | default.src | File Transfer section configuration menu |
| xferinfo | default.src | File Transfer section information menu |
Optional menu file names and descriptions (these file do not exist by default):
| Base filename | Displayed By | Description |
|---|---|---|
| batdprot | str.cpp | Batch download transfer protocols (displayed instead of dynamically generated list) |
| batuprot | str.cpp | Batch upload transfer protocols (displayed instead of dynamically generated list) |
| biprot | str.cpp | Bidirectional transfer protocols (displayed instead of dynamically generated list) |
| dlprot | str.cpp | Download transfer protocols (displayed instead of dynamically generated list) |
| ulprot | str.cpp | Upload transfer protocols (displayed instead of dynamically generated list) |
| upload | shell_lib.js | Displayed before the prompt for user-supplied filename to upload |
| grps | execmsg.cpp | Message Group listing (displayed instead of dynamically generated list) |
| subs<x> | execmsg.cpp | Message Sub-board listing, <x> is the (one-based) group number |
| libs | execfile.cpp | File Library listing (displayed instead of dynamically generated list) |
| msglist | msglist.js | Used by Message List |
| msgview | msglist.js | Used by Message List |
| msgtabs | writemsg.cpp | Internal message editor tab bar |
| dirs<x> | execfile.cpp | File Directory listing, <x> is the (one-based) library number |
| xtrn_sec_head | xtrn_sec.js | External Program Sections header |
| xtrn_sec | xtrn_sec.js | External Program Sections (displayed instead of dynamically generated list) |
| xtrn_sec_tail | xtrn_sec.js | External Program Sections footer |
| xtrn<x>_head | xtrn_sec.js | External Program list header, <x> is the (one-based) section number |
| xtrn<code>_head | xtrn_sec.js | External Program list header, <code> is the section code |
| xtrn_head | xtrn_sec.js | External Program list header (global) |
| xtrn<x> | xtrn_sec.js | External Program listing, <x> is the (one-based) section number |
| xtrn<code> | xtrn_sec.js | External Program listing, <code> is the section code |
| xtrn/<code> | xtrn_sec.js | Message displayed just before executing the external program represented by <code> |
| xtrn<x>_tail | xtrn_sec.js | External Program list footer, <x> is the (one-based) section number |
| xtrn<code>_tail | xtrn_sec.js | External Program list footer, <code> is the section code |
| xtrn_tail | xtrn_sec.js | External Program list footer (global) |
| text_sec | text_sec.cpp | Text File Section listing (displayed instead of dynamically generated list) |
| text<x> | text_sec.cpp | Text File listing, <x> is the (one-based) text file section number |
| chan | chat.cpp | Multinode Chat Channels (displayed instead of dynamically generated list) |
| tmessage | default.src | Displays when the user enters the transfer section |
| tpolicy | str.cpp | File transfer policy (displayed instead of text.dat strings: TransferPolicyHdr, TpUpload, TpDownload) |
| random<x> | logon.js | Random logon screen (e.g. random1, random2, random3, etc.) |